Few things are more important to the economy and success of the Atlanta region than its transportation network. But in a world of dwindling gas tax revenues and budget cuts, the opportunities to plan for new transportation projects are rare. In fact, more than 70 percent of available funding is needed just to maintain the existing network.
Because of the limited dollars available for added capacity, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) was excited to accept proposals for new projects from county and city governments around the region in 2013. Local jurisdictions submitted their ideas under a federal funding program called the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program (CMAQ or “Cee-mak”). As the name implies, projects funded under this program must demonstrate they relieve congestion and improve the region’s air quality.
ARC received nominations for 83 projects estimated to cost approximately $320 million. With $125 million to spend during 2014 to 2019, ARC, the Georgia Department of Transportation and local jurisdictions pared the list down to 28 projects with the biggest impact for the region. The cost is approximately $113 million. Staying below the maximum dollar figure will allow for unexpected cost increases or new projects in the final years of the program.
The project list includes funding to help pay to operate the Atlanta Streetcar and to reduce MARTA train rush-hour wait times from 15 to 10 minutes.
On the region’s roads, the list includes two new diverging-diamond interchanges, at I-75 and Windy Hill Road in Cobb County and I-285 and Camp Creek Parkway near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. It makes small investments in Georgia DOT’s managed lanes program with the extension of high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes north along I-85 and the construction of new lanes along I-75 to the north and the south.
The CMAQ program also includes installation of several “intelligent transportation systems” around the region that automatically adjust the timing of signals along major corridors based on traffic flow. A new traffic control center in Paulding County will complete the county’s monitoring network along its major corridors, several of which carry tons of freight every day.
The projects make the most of limited funding. They also reflect new priorities at the local, state and federal levels. But perhaps the best part of these 28 projects is that many of them will break ground within the next three years, providing very quick results.
These new projects in the CMAQ program give the region an opportunity to quickly improve its transportation future. However, the addition of almost 3 million more people in the next 20 years — and a potentially devastating lack of funding — means that our infrastructure won’t be able to keep up with increasing congestion.
Barring a sudden, and unlikely, boost in federal funding, the state and the region’s local governments must collaborate to find ways to provide metro Atlantans with additional infrastructure and more commuting options for the near future.
Doug Hooker is executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission.
